Sixers ranked above Rockets, Lakers in recent NBA Power Rankings

Sixers ranked above Rockets, Lakers in recent NBA Power Rankings

The Philadelphia 76ers were considered a fringe playoff team at the beginning of last season, and now, the City of Brotherly Love has a top-three NBA team, at least according to one analyst.

CBS released their new NBA Power Rankings, featuring a top-three of the Golden State Warriors at No. 1, followed by the Boston Celtics and then none other than the Sixers.

CBS Sports Chris Barnewall credited Philly’s offseason success to the re-signing of JJ Redick and the fleecing of the Denver Nuggets in the trade for Wilson Chandler.

The 76ers missed on LeBron James and inquired about Kawhi Leonard, but their decision to stand pat was a good one. They added Wilson Chandler and bringing back J.J. Redick was crucial. They did lose some shooting in Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova, but those two are replaceable.

Barnewall also added his fair share of questionable rankings. These included the Los Angeles Lakers coming in at No. 10 and the Clippers cracking the top-20 at No. 17, so there’s bound to be a handful of fans query of how he drew these conclusions.

Philly, however, isn’t one of those teams. With two budding stars and an arsenal of veteran contributors, the Sixers could easily end this season as the East’s second best team.

Additionally, if Markelle Fultz becomes the borderline All-Star which he has potential to be, the Sixers could lock up the East this year and for the foreseeable future as well.